The top-four ranked teams of each group advance to the quarter-finals that will be played within the groups and without change of venues for the participants. The first-place team in each preliminary-round group plays the fourth-place team of the same group, while the second-place team plays the third-place team of the same group. 1H-4H, 2H-3H, 1S-4S, 2S-3S. The winning teams advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-final pairings: Winner 1H-4H vs Winner 2S-3S, Winner 1S-4S vs Winner 2H-3H. Both semi-final games will take place in Helsinki.

The winning teams of the semi-final games advance to the gold medal game while the semi-final losing teams play for bronze. Both games will be staged in Helsinki.

Relegation format

The last-placed team of each group will be relegated to the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division Group A.

The teams promoted to the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will be the top-two teams of the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A: Slovenia and Austria.

Overtime procedure

In case of a tie at the end of regulation in a quarterfinal, semi-final and bronze medal game, there will be a 10-minute, sudden-death overtime period, following a three-minute intermission. The teams will defend the same goals as in the third period. The team, which scores first is the winner.

In the gold medal game there will be a 20-minute sudden-death overtime, following a full intermission during which the ice will be resurfaced. The teams will change ends. The team which scores first is the winner.

All sudden death overtime periods are played four skaters on four.

If no goal is scored during the sudden-death overtime, there will be game winning shot (GWS) competition ’shootout’. Each team must select three shooters to compete in the GWS. If the score is still tied after the teams have had three attempts each, the teams continue to shoot in pairings until the shooter of one team misses and the shooter of the other team scores. See Game Winning Shots Procedure.<

Game Winning Shots Procedure

If no goal is scored in the overtime period then the Game Winning Shots (GWS) procedure will apply. The following procedure will be utilized:

Three different shooters from each team will take alternate shots, until a decisive goal is scored.

If the game is still tied after three shots by each team, the GWS will continue with a tie-break shoot out by one player of each team, with a reversed shooting order.

The same or new players can take the tie-break shots. The same player can also be used for each shot by a team in the tie-break shoot-out.

Only the decisive goal will count in the result of the game.

Shots will be taken at both ends of the ice. The area of the ice to be used will be dry scraped.

A coin toss will determine which team takes the first shot, with the winner of the toss having the choice whether his team will shoot first or second.

Any player whose penalty was not over when overtime ended cannot take the shots and must stay in the penalty box or in the dressing room.

Once named, players may only be replaced in the event of injury or penalty.

The substitute stand-by player is placed last in the shooting order.

The goalkeepers will defend the same goal, as determined by the Referee.

The goalkeepers from each team may be changed after each shot.

The players of both teams will take the shots alternately until a decisive goal is scored.

The decisive goal will be credited to the player who scored and to the goalkeeper concerned.

Three Point System

For all games in the Preliminary Round, Qualification Round and Relegation Round points shall be awarded as follows:

3 points for the winning team at the conclusion of regulation time

1 point for both teams at the conclusion of regulation time if the game is tied

An additional point earned for the team winning the game in a 5-minute overtime period, or the Game Winning Shots Procedure if the teams are still tied following conclusion of the overtime period

0 points for the team losing the game in regulation time

Tie breaking formula

The tie-breaking system for two teams with the same number of points in a standing will be the game between the two teams, the winner of the game taking precedence.

Due to the fact that the three-point system does not allow a game to end in a tie, then the following tie breaking procedure is applicable when three or more teams are tied in points in a Championship standing.

Should three or more teams be tied on points, then a tie breaking formula will be applied as follows, creating a sub-group amongst the tied teams. This process will continue until only two teams remain tied. The game between the two remaining tied teams would then be the determining tie-breaker as the game between these two teams could not end as a tie.

Step 1:Taking into consideration the games between each of the tied teams, a sub-group is created applying the points awarded in the direct games amongst the tied teams from which the teams are then ranked accordingly.

Step 2:Should the teams still remain tied then the better goal difference in the direct games amongst the tied teams will be decisive.

Step 3:Should the teams still remain tied then the highest number of goals scored by these teams in their direct games will be decisive

Step 4:Should three or more teams still remain tied then the results between each of the three teams and the closest best-ranked team outside the sub-group will be applied. In this case the tied team with the best result (1. points, 2. goal difference, 3. more goals scored) against the closest best ranked-team will take precedence

Step 5:Should the teams still remain tied, then the results between each of the three teams and the next highest best-ranked team outside the sub-group will be applied.

Step 6:Should the teams still remain tied after these five steps have been exercised then Sport considerations will be applied and the tied teams will be ranked by their positions coming into the Championship.

Note: If not all mutual games have been played yet in an ongoing tournament, the tied teams will be ranked in the standings according to the following criteria: 1. Lower number of games played, 2. Goal difference, 3. Goals scored, 4. Positions coming into the Championship.

Final Ranking / World Ranking

The gold medal game and bronze medal game will determine the final ranking for the top-4 teams. The eliminated teams from the preliminary round plus the losing teams of the quarter-finals will be ranked following their positions in the groups preceding the quarter-final round.

The final ranking will follow the following procedure:

1. Higher position in the group,2. Higher number of points,3. Better goal difference,4. Higher number of goals scored for,5. Better seeding number

The IIHF World Ranking will be produced after the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. It is based on the rankings of the four most recent IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships and of the last Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament (including qualification tournaments).

Click here for more information on the IIHF World Ranking system.Click here for the Pre-Championship ranking.

Rulebook

The IIHF and its Rule Committee published the latest version of the official IIHF Rulebook in 2010, valid through the 2014 season. Below you can find the complete book in a PDF format.